Otto Waalkes
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On the occasion of Otto Waalkes’ 75th birthday, the West German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR) made the program “The Otto Show” available in its media library. However, an unusual sight awaits the viewer before each episode: a warning notice draws attention to the fact that some jokes could be perceived as insensitive and offensive.
WDR would like to “classify” Otto’s jokes better with warnings
It was 1973 when the East Frisian joker Otto Waalkes got his first television show. In this, Otto did what he did best: crack jokes and belt out silly songs on the guitar. Although Otto still makes the most diverse generations in Germany laugh years later, some of his jokes are no longer up to date. That’s why WDR decided to stream the episodes of the “Otto Show” unedited, but with a short warning.
“The following program is shown in its original form as part of television history. It contains passages of discriminatory language and attitude” or “[…] Passages that are now considered discriminatory,” a text panel warns in advance. Perhaps some of his punch lines about ethnic minorities and/or women could be considered hurtful today. In the 50 years since the show first aired, society has changed and so has humor. As late as 1985, in his first “Otto” film, he used the N-word.
At the request of “Bild”, WDR commented on the warnings as follows: “We regularly show popular programs and cult programs from our archive. This also includes ‘The Otto Show’ from 1973. The programs are shown in their original form. They contain passages that are now considered discriminatory. With the fade-in at the beginning, we make that clear and classify the format accordingly.”
The fact that Otto still enjoys great popularity in Germany after 50 years, despite some outdated jokes, can be seen in the current charts. In the feature with the rappers Ski Aggu and Joost, the stupid bard re-released his song “Friesenjung”. Otto performed the parody of Sting’s “English Man in New York” for the first time in 1993 in his live program at the time.